Gareth Bale is one of those special players in football. He has top quality but tends to not fulfill expectations on his performing level for some reason. Injuries, attitude, moral… These are factors that make this kind of players to be in the spotlight constantly. As he is again under coach Ancelotti, now Bale must decide what version to show this season.
He scored a Hat-Trick against Belarus last Sunday to rescue Wales, which creates some excitement on the ‘Madridistas’. There are reasons to believe in Bale. The return of Ancelotti, with who he has more confidence than with Zidane, is one of the main causes. Carletto already bet on the Welsh on his presentation as the new head coach, as his “renew plan” is based on recovering the highest level from players who have not been starters in the last few seasons like Isco or Marcelo.
Gareth Bale does not hide it. He assured on an interview to the BBC that he feels more comfortable with the atmosphere at Real Madrid this year: “Every player will tell you if they’re in a happier place mentally, then physically they are going to feel better and perform better. I’m playing and a bit happier and a bit more comfortable with the playing style of Real Madrid”. We will now have to see if Bale feels like a footballer again at Madrid.

However, it is being said that “Bale smiles again”, “the sign is Bale”… as an strategy to get the attention away from the fact that Mbappé did not join Real Madrid. Now the club must take a look to what they have at home. Hazard is too irregular, Rodrygo does not have too many minutes, Jovic and Mariano do not count for Ancelotti… But not everything is negative, as Benzema keeps being the leader offensively and it looks like Vinicius has made up with the goal.
What will Bale do: will he be able to take the step forward that the fans are demanding him to or will he keep the irregularity that has usually shown? There are many expectations on the Welsh in a season where Real Madrid will need to be more effective forward in order to solve the struggles on defense after the exits of key players like Ramos and Varane.
Translated by Guillermo Bermejo.